In today’s environment, time is the new currency, and all of us seem to be starved for time. This creates new opportunities for retailers that can offer convenience to their customers.
We’ve already seen a growth in grab-and-go and quick-serv foods—no one has time to sit down and eat when they can grab something on the run. The same need for speed applies to other profit centers within a location, such as a c-store. People want to find their items quickly and get on their way.
If your customer is time starved, speed can trump price, and finding ways to give your shoppers back their time can also increase customer loyalty. Service, friendliness and speed are all reasons people are shopping at certain locations. How are you addressing those? Can you emphasize those elements as part of your company’s culture?
Digital technology is another way we can save time for shoppers. Are there ways you can use technology to transform shopping? Digital menu boards, for example, can give customers information quickly. They can also save staff time—team members can type up information once, store it and use it as many times as they need to. Other technology, such as kiosks for ordering quick-serv foods, can get customers in and out faster while also freeing up staff to meet customers’ needs in other ways.
Bill Taylor, an entrepreneur, author and featured speaker at The NATSO Show, has said that technology can be a powerful tool for business owners, particularly when businesses also remember “to infuse their organization with small gestures, little touches, modest symbols or rituals” to show customers how much they matter. He said, “We cannot loose sight of the human factor in business and you have to look for opportunities to go the extra mile, so do a little something your customers will give you extra credit for.”
In our fast-paced environment, the little something that can mean the most is the gift of time.
Photo credit: Jules Clifford/NATSO
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